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CHILLICOTHE – Shannon Newberry said he has always had an important relationship with his father, Alan.

But when he decided to write a book about Alan’s service in the Vietnam War, he said he was able to connect with his father on a different level.

“For me, it was the excitement of telling his story. ... Showing that he’s not just my hero, he’s everyone’s, Shannon said.

A social studies teacher at Unioto High School, Shannon said he has always had an interest in the past. His recently published book, “Unlikely Brothers: Just Trying to Make it Home” brings a piece of history into a personal perspective by narrating the events his father, and the men he came to call brothers, underwent serving in the Vietnam War.

Shannon started work on the book in 2010, the 40th anniversary of the invasion of Cambodia. As part of his research and interview process, he accompanied his father to reunions of survivors of the Vietnam War.

“These guys fought for each other. To bring each other home alive ... they absolutely called each other brothers. It’s a bond beyond anything I’ve ever experienced,” Shannon said.

He said in going to those reunions, he realized Alan had been repressing many memories of his time serving in the war. The opportunity to be around people who served alongside him was a chance to talk about, and express, those emotions. Seeing this interaction and emotion from his father brought them closer than before, Shannon said.

“It’s almost uncanny to see 60, 70 year old men cry at just the mention of a name,” Shannon said.

The book gives a narrative of Alan’s time in the service and the emotional battles he fought during and after the war, providing a window into his father’s experience that begins with his arrival at boot camp and extends to his involvement on the battlefield and eventual return home.

“Unlikely Brothers: Just Trying to Make it Home” is available online at lulu.com.